Mike Dryden
August 27, 2008
Theology III

Holden Caulfield: A Man of Faith?
Faith is believing in attributes which are not supported by first-hand or physical evidence. It is necessary throughout life, and is critical to human relationships; if we did not have faith in one another, we would not ask for help or favors. We would be lonely individuals, without any trustworthy companions. Faith is what also drives our political system; we elect presidents because we have faith in their personalities and attributes, which cannot be seen or examined as qualitatively as the color of their eyes.

Is Holden Caulfield a man of faith? I think that Holden Caulfield is a man of faith. He has much faith in his dead brother. He always recalls the personality of his brother, and all his virtues, and tries to apply them to his life. He even trusts his brother to prevent him from falling into oblivion when he steps off the sidewalk curb at the end of each city block.

Many people would say that he does not have faith because he always finds the “phoniness” in the people he interacts with and even those that just pass him on the street, such as the family from church. I think, however, that Holden wants to have faith in the people that inhabit the world around him, but previous life experiences prevent him from doing so. I think that two big factors that hinder his faith are his parents. After D. B died, Holden's parents always compared him to D.B.- they solely concentrated on D.B's virtues, and had little faith themselves that Holden could live up to the same reputation as D.B.

Is Holden Caulfield a man of faith? Although many people beg to differ because of his overwhelmingly negative interactions with the people in his life, he still manages to have something to believe in: his deceased brother, D.B.